Week 4: WC at Ozark

It's safe to say this one didn't go the way I thought it would...at least not in the way I was expecting it to.

About 6 plays into the game, Patrick Drake ran for a first down near mid-field with the play ending near the WC sideline. Through the legs of the WC players on the sideline we could see one pair of Columbia blue pants still laying on the turf. When the QB's sister, grandparents, and uncle are sitting next to you and he was the ball carrier it doesn't take long to inventory the players who have returned to the huddle and figure out that it's #5 that's down.

That was a scary moment for his family - as it would be for any family - as he laid there for minutes on end and then finally the stretcher and backboard were rolled out. Early word from the sideline was that he was moving all limbs, but his neck was sore. Eventually Pat's parents and brother converged on the sideline and then migrated to the south end of the field. Britt (Pat's sister, my wife) walked down to where they were examining him and then returned to the stands to report that they were transporting him to the hospital for examination, but that it appeared he was okay.

The radio was reporting way ahead of the actual medical process, by halftime they had said he was fine and would be back next week - at one point they apparently reported he'd be back at the stadium before the end of the game. Pat may well return next week, but it was the 4th quarter before the doctor actually saw Pat and diagnosed a severe neck sprain - next week questionable.

Once the game resumed WC had to face the reality of 2 QB options:
1. A junior who is coming off an injury and has had few reps over the last several weeks.
2. A sophomore with very little varsity experience.

Enter Sophomore Breckin Williams.

I fully expected a steady dose of Braxton Baker for the rest of the night in an effort to shorten the game and get a win. I even said to Britt's gramdma that I thought Breckin would mostly be turning around and handing it off.

I was wrong.

First play, WC dialed up a 1-step fade to Chris Hance for a big gain. A couple of plays later Williams hit Boo Rodgers crossing in the endzone for the game's opening score.

From there we saw a pretty wide open approach. Probably less veer option than Pat tends to run, but WC was forced to the air as Ozark had designed their scheme to stop one man - Braxton Baker (and they were fairly successful at that, relatively speaking).

Braxton eventually picked up some yards and scored a touchdown, but did not get to dominate Ozark the way he does with most opponents. But the reason WC's offense is so potent is that Baker isn't the only weapon.

Williams played well for a guy that hasn't played at the varsity level - 4 TD passes and 1 on the ground. It was a much better showing than I expected - no offense Breckin, that was a tough spot and you just never know how it's going to go.

The WC defense looked good - overall - against a scrambling QB and a spread attack. This is significant because if there's one thing that always concerns me a little going into a game it's a spread attack. In the time I've been watching WC football, pass defense has not been a consistent strong-suit. It appears that speed is paying off in the back end right now.

WC cruised to a 42-7 victory. Ozark's only score came when they recovered a fumble (which should not have been ruled a fumble - more on the officials in a minute) at the WC 1 and managed to punch it in on 3rd down.

The Ozark coach had some pretty lame comments that are quoted in the Joplin Globe. Coach, you got jacked up on a night when you had every advantage. You probably ought to show a little more respect rather than acting like you were ever in the game.

The officiating for the 3rd straight week appeared to be handled by 4 of the opposing team's dads. Seriously, every time WC got a first down they'd call it back for a penalty no one saw. There was no way they could do enough to keep Ozark in the game, so it was just annoying and made the game last forever. Homer officials are annoying. Where do they get those bozos?

WC hosts Nixa next week. Nixa beat Carthage in Carthage so it should be a good game. I certainly hope that Patrick's recovery goes quickly, we'd love to see him out there Friday night running the offense, but of course want to make sure he's ready to go physically before he does that.